Chimera
"Chimera. It's a creature made up of incongruous parts." : — explaining the term Chimera to the in : In Teen Wolf, the Chimera is a human who has been scientifically given the powers of at least one supernatural species by the Dread Doctors, although they typically have the traits of two of these species. According to Alan Deaton, these hybrid creatures are not limited to the same rules as real supernatural creatures since they were created through science rather than magic or mysticism, thus making them essentially enhanced humans. For example, Chimeras can handle Mountain Ash like any other human, whereas a true supernatural would be unable to touch or use it in any way. Despite this, they are still bound by some metaphysical rules, such as being unable to steal a True Alpha's powers, as proven when both Belasko and Theo Raeken attempted to steal Scott McCall's powers; since neither were Betas who were bitten and turned by Scott himself, they were both unsuccessful. As previously stated, Chimeras were created by the Dread Doctors, who specifically chose human teenagers with genetic chimerism (i.e. humans with two sets of DNA, caused by such factors as organ/tissue transplants or fetal resorption syndrome) as their test subjects in pursuit of the ideal vessel for the resurrected spirit of the Beast of Gevaudan. However, all but one of these Chimeras were referred to by the Doctors as "failures," as they transformed in ways that made them unsuitable vessels for the Beast. The majority of these failures were characterized by bleeding from the eyes, nose, and mouth; they often first began to bleed black blood before then getting nosebleeds or vomiting the modified mercury that the Dread Doctors used to turn them in the first place. The only truly successful Chimera was Mason Hewitt, who was a genetic chimera as a result of absorbing his twin in the womb, and who ultimately became the host for the Beast of Gevaudan; while Theo Raeken was considered to be a somewhat successful Chimera due to the fact that he did not reject the transformation like the ten other Chimeras considered to be "failures," he was also not actually a success by the Dread Doctors' standards, since he was not a suitable vessel for the Beast's spirit. Transformation The exact transformation process the Dread Doctors used to turn humans with genetic chimerism into super-powered Chimeras remains unknown, but from what was revealed, it appears that they began this process by identifying teenagers with two sets of DNA, likely because teenagers were more likely to survive the transformation than adults were. As seen with Tracy Stewart, it appears that once the test subjects were chosen, the Dread Doctors would give the soon-to-be Chimeras infusions of a modified mercury solution over multiple nights before burying them in the ground as a sort of incubation period. Once the Chimera was able to dig themselves out of their makeshift graves, they began to exhibit the supernatural traits and powers of the creatures that made up their new hybrid nature (though it is unknown how or why each Chimera gained the supernatural characteristics that they developed-- it could be that the Dread Doctors chose the species that made up their Chimera nature, though it seems unlikely, or it could be a case of "the shape you take reflects the person that you are" in which the newly-turned Chimera's supernatural nature is determined by their personality and body chemistry, which is typical of true supernatural creatures). After this point, the Dread Doctors gave them a final mercury infusion. From there, the Chimeras would continue to be tested and experimented on, which may or may not include physical transformations like new sets of teeth, talons, or wings. Throughout this weeks-long process, the Dread Doctors would continually modify the memories of the Chimeras so that they wouldn't know what was being done to them until the Doctors were ready for them to be aware of their true nature. It would quickly become clear whether they were successes or failures depending on their behavior after they exhibited their new hybrid powers. First, the Chimeras would begin to forget who they were and what was happening to them, and then they would begin to bleed black blood and become unable to heal their wounds at an accelerated rate. Once the Chimera began to bleed modified mercury from their eyes, noses, mouths, or open wounds, the Dread Doctors would determine that they were failures and kill them, as they believe failures tainted the experiment pool. Mason Hewitt did not seem to go through this rejection process whatsoever due to his status as a truly successful Chimera, nor did Theo Raeken, who became a genetic chimera through a heart transplant performed by the Dread Doctors themselves and survived his transformation without any negative side-effects. However, the rest of the Chimeras all began to exhibit signs of being a failure and were subsequently killed, though four of them were resurrected by Theo using a green serum of the Dread Doctors that allowed them to successfully complete their transformations without issue. Physical Appearance Most of the Chimeras have their own unique form that was given to them by the Dread Doctors, though it remains unknown how or why the Chimeras gained the traits of their specific species. For some of these Chimeras, their physical characteristics appeared to be permanent and could not be transformed back and forth like typical shapeshifters. For example, Belasko had glowing blue talons, along with the ridged brow, fangs, and glowing blue eyes of a werewolf, though the colors of his eyes changed when he siphoned the powers of a supernatural creature, such as when they turned fiery reddish-orange when he tried to take the Hellhound Jordan Parrish's powers; these physical characteristics did not seem to be retractable. Likewise, Donovan Donati's Wendigo fangs also appeared to be permanent due to the Dread Doctors pulling all of his human teeth out, though he could make his eyes transform back and forth from their human brown to Wendigo white, and could create lamprey mouths over his body at will as well. Zach also had wings growing out of his back until the Dread Doctors cut them off, and the female Chimera who was killed by Kira Yukimura at the McCall House had long, black, needle-like claws that may or may not have been retractable. Other Chimeras are more like true shapeshifters, in that they have a human form and a Chimera form that usually resembled one or both of the supernatural creatures whose powers they possessed. For example, Josh Diaz had purple eyes, claws (which physically resembled those of werecreatures) that glowed the same purple as his eyes, and large sharp fanged teeth, all traits that had never been seen before in any other known creature in the series. Upon completion of Tracy Stewart's transformation, her eyes originally glowed bright yellow, like those of a typical Beta werewolf, but they later changed to resemble the eyes of a Kanima; to match her Kanima nature, she also could develop reptilian scales over half of her body and had a tail that she could extend and retract from her spine before Kira Yukimura cut it off with her sword. Similarly, both Theo Raeken and Hayden Romero could both shapeshift their features into those that resembled a Beta werewolf, including golden eyes, claws, and fangs; however, Theo also possessed the ability to fully shift into a wolf due to his werecoyote half, while Hayden demonstrated she could transform her skin to resemble a werejaguar when she was dying of a mercury overdose. Noah Patrick had the ability to extend and retract Berserker claws from his wrist and hand, and could transform his face to resemble a Berserker's as well, which caused his eye sockets to become sunken in and darkened. Additionally, one specific Chimera, Corey, doesn't have shapeshifting abilities whatsoever; instead, he can camouflage himself by pressing himself against his surroundings like a chameleon and can thereby make himself invisible to the human eye. Mason Hewitt, as the vessel for the Beast of Gevaudan, possessed all the powers of the Beast, including the ability to shapeshift from his own human form into a large, black bestial werewolf by summoning the shadows and darkness around him to envelope him. This lasted until the Beast remembered who he truly was, after which point Mason shapeshifted into the human form of Sebastien Valet while retaining his own memories inside Sebastien's mind. Now that the Beast has been vanquished and Mason has been returned to his true form, it is believed that he no longer has any physical traits or powers of a Chimera, since his powers were derived fully from Sebastien's spirit. Powers and Abilities The powers of a Chimera vary depending on the individual, though many of them who are partially of the same species may share similar powers; what powers they gain upon their transformation depends on what species make up their Chimera nature and how those two species combine with each other. Additionally, the degree of their powers may not be on the same level as the true supernatural creatures from whom they were derived. Theo Raeken has mentioned that he considers the Chimeras to be "cheap knock-offs," since their powers are still inferior to those of true shapeshifters, although the strength level of a Chimera can even vary within their own species. Theo seemed to demonstrate the strongest abilities of all the Chimeras, likely due to the fact that he survived his transformation without any negative side effects, and possibly also as a result of the fact that he was turned when he was nine years old; for example, Theo was strong enough to overturn a Jeep, though he was still not as strong as Malia Tate, a werecoyote, and his healing ability was strong enough to allow him to survive a snapped neck (though it should be noted that he had absorbed the powers of two other Chimeras at this point, which could have heightened his supernatural powers). Deucalion also referred to Hayden Romero as the next strongest Chimera in the Chimera Pack after Theo, though whether this was a true belief of his or merely a lie to win Hayden over remains to be seen; Hayden did indeed appear to have reasonably powerful speed, agility, and senses, but for reasons unknown, her healing ability was inferior to most of her Chimera peers. With that in mind, the most common abilities among them were superhuman physical attributes, such as enhanced strength, speed, agility/reflexes, durability, senses, and an accelerated healing factor, all of which seem to be possessed by all Chimeras, regardless of their combination of species. The next most common power was shapeshifting, which all the Chimeras seemed to possess in some manner with the exception of Corey, though this shapeshifting power varies based on the species of the Chimera in question. Aside from these powers, the rest of the powers they possessed appeared to be somewhat unique to the individual in question-- as previously stated, these unique powers were based on the specific supernatural species that made up the Chimeras' nature and the manner in which they combined with each other. *'Belasko' had the common abilities of an Omega-level werewolf in terms of physical attributes, but also could absorb the powers of other supernatural creatures through his talons. *'Tracy Stewart' possessed the fangs and claws of a werewolf and the eyes, scales, and paralytic venom of a Kanima, along with the physical attributes of both. She also possessed incredible superhuman durability, which made it so that not even a surgical steel scalpel could cut through her skin, though she was still vulnerable to the claws of Chimeras and true shapeshifters as well as weapons imbued with mystical energy like Kira Yukimura's katana. *'Donovan Donati' possessed the eyes, fangs, and cannibalistic hunger of a Wendigo and the ability to create lamprey mouths wherever he wanted on his body. *'Lucas' had the claws and physical attributes of a werewolf and the ability to produce scorpion stingers (complete with scorpion venom that caused agonizing pain in those exposed to it) on the back of his arms and spine. *'Josh Diaz' had the purple eyes, glowing purple claws, and fangs of an unknown creature, as well as electromagnetokinesis, or the ability to siphon, create, and manipulate electricity, magneticism, and electromagnetic fields. This power also gives him the ability to sense electrical and electromagnetic forces around him, as he needs a source of this energy to fuel his powers. *'Hayden Romero' possessed the eyes, claws, and fangs of a werewolf as well as the skin and the ability to sense Berserkers that is common among werejaguars. However, the werejaguar aspects of Hayden's powers were presumably lost upon her transformation into a real werewolf after being given the Bite by Scott McCall. *'Theo Raeken' has the eyes, claws, and fangs of a werewolf, along with the ability to full-shift into a large black wolf due to his werecoyote nature. After killing and absorbing the powers of Tracy Stewart and Josh Diaz, he now possesses the ability to excrete Kanima venom as well as the ability to absorb and manipulate electromagnetic energy. *'Corey' possessed the power of supernatural camouflage, allowing him to blend in with his surroundings through tactile contact in a manner similar to a chameleon. He was also able to camouflage at least one other person by touching them as well, and his power appears to have advanced to where he can now blend in with the air around him to become invisible. *'Zach' possessed wings on his back, though once he began displaying symptoms of being a failure, the Dread Doctors cut them off. *'The unnamed female Chimera' who was found dead at the McCall House possessed long, black, needle-like claws on all of her fingers. Weaknesses Unlike true supernatural creatures, Chimeras have shown no specific weakness such as Wolfsbane or Mountain Ash, which are common among supernatural creatures and shapeshifters. However, this does not make them unkillable, as they are still susceptible to death like any other creature (though their accelerated healing ability does make it slightly more difficult to kill them than it would be for a human), as has been proven on multiple occasions. For example, Josh Diaz was killed by Theo Raeken on two occasions; once after having his throat clawed out, and again after being impaled with Theo's claws and having both his pain and his powers siphoned out of him. Corey was nearly killed by Cerberus after being engulfed by the Hellhound's flames, and while Malia Tate's ability to take away pain helped his healing ability kick in enough to prevent him from dying, the burns still took several days to heal. Lucas, who showed showed extraordinary strength in battle, was killed after being shot in the heart with a retractable crossbow bolt, and Donovan Donati was killed similarly after being impaled in the chest by a large metal brace. Chimeras also seem to be susceptible to overdoses from the same modified mercury that transformed them in the first place, as evidenced by both Tracy Stewart and Hayden Romero being killed by the Dread Doctors in this manner. It also appears that Corey's power of supernatural camouflage wasn't effective against the Dread Doctors, who seemed to be able to see through his camouflage in order to kill him, possibly due to their own electromagnetokinetic powers; additionally, while his camouflage ability does allow him to mask his physical presence, it will not mask his scent, allowing true shapeshifters and Chimeras with heightened senses of smell to track him even if he isn't visible. Experiments Deaton explains that, while the Doctors' experiments may appear to be familiar creatures, they are not supernatural as evidenced by their ability to cross Mountain Ash barriers. The old rules and restrictions do not apply to the subjects of these experiments. The Doctors appear to create hybrids by combining parts, most seem to have some werewolf traits mixed with more exotic species, to form a chimera. Theo says they are "cheap knockoffs" of the supernatural creatures they resemble. I feel like this is an important question. First of all'' missing time''. I’ve argued that the doctors actually do move in time and if they can erase your memories in the process, then I guess that can qualify as missing time. ''Fugue states.'' And this fits an enormous amount of characters on this show. More or less all of them in fact if we stop to thing about it. So what are the signs of a chimera ? * Two sets of DNA / medical treatment/willing to become a chimera. The sheriff department have come up with a list but only Hayden is on it. But if we factor in womb experiments as well, then the hospital wouldn’t necessarily have records of all that. And with all the shady doctors on this show, records of that might even been removed to hide the functioning ones running around. If Parrish is removing the bodies, then why not have someone remove other physical evidence? And are we absolutely sure only skin grafts and those with two sets of DNA are candidates? ' ' * '''Stuck in a hole or behind a wall, aka incubation time. There might be other methods as well, but some sort of incubation period seems to be needed, perhaps with access to water or even more likely, on the telluric currents. * Missing time/fugue states. This seem to be a side effect of the experiments. * Signs of somethingness afterwards. Enhanced abilities, extra powers. * Loss of control, vengeful, change of personality. Take charge and do the things they couldn’t before the change. Act on their urges. This seem to be most noticeable in the new chimeras, the ones developed quickly. The fetal experiments might be different and not as volatile. It’s like if your taking steroids it can mess with your head in the process. Jackson reminded us of that back in season 1 with the epic “where are you getting your juice” scene. Scott changed over night. And he was also out of control. The bitten werewolves also will have control issues, but they have more time to prepare, knows it’s coming. * Teenagers and preteens seem to be preferred. But there are exceptions, like Belasko. ''' '''There are more. But I think this is enough to get us going. And I’d like to add that there seem to be two categories - the chimeras made from normal humans with two sets of DNA, and other supernaturals enhanced with extra powers, such as Belasko. And possibly we should make the fetal experiments a third group. A closer look at the “candidates” under the cut. Be warned - this post is super rambly and a little bit all over the place. It’s more a brain dump than an actual meta. Chimeras =